Gaming machines such as mechanically driven slot machines have been a staple of the gaming and entertainment industries for years. With the advent of computers, electronic forms of gaming machines such as video slots, video bingo, video poker, video keno and video blackjack have emerged and have become increasingly popular. Such electronic devices continue to grow in popularity with the development of enhanced computer-generated graphics and sounds, making them more attractive to a wider audience of participants.
With the recent growth in the electronic gaming machine market, competition between manufacturers to place their equipment in available venues has become fierce. When selecting which machines to put into their facilities, the operators of gaming establishments give substantial consideration to their patrons' perception of a game as entertaining and exciting. To attain this goal, gaming machines frequently employ extended play in the form of “bonus” rounds in connection with the base game. Typically, the bonus game is tied to the base game through a common theme. For example, a gaming machine with a racecar motif may employ an automobile race in the bonus round in which the finish place of the player's car determines the payout. The bonus game is triggered upon the occurrence of a certain event occurring in the base game. Such bonus games produce a greater degree of player excitement resulting from the use of enhanced sounds and graphics.
Because bonus rounds serve to keep players entertained which, in turn, yields greater profits to the gaming machine operators, there is a continuing need to develop novel concepts to maintain excitement and attract new players. The present disclosure is directed to satisfying these needs.